Release Date: November 4/2014
Acquired: Paperback sent by publisher
Goodreads: ADD
Purchase: Amazon/IndieBound/Book Depository
Already optioned for film, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart is Peter Swanson’s electrifying tale of romantic noir, with shades of Hitchcock and reminiscent of the classic movie Body Heat. It is the story of a man swept into a vortex of irresistible passion and murder when an old love mysteriously reappears.
On an ordinary Friday evening at his favorite Boston tavern, George Foss’s comfortable, predictable life is shattered when a beautiful woman sits down at the bar, a woman who vanished without a trace twenty years ago.
Liana Dector isn’t just an ex-girlfriend, the first love George couldn’t quite forget. She’s also a dangerous enigma and quite possibly a cold-blooded killer wanted by the police. Suddenly, she’s back—and she needs George’s help. Ruthless men believe she stole some money . . . and they will do whatever it takes to get it back.
George knows Liana is trouble. But he can’t say no—he never could—so he makes a choice that will plunge him into a terrifying whirlpool of lies, secrets, betrayal, and murder from which there is no sure escape.
Bold and masterful, full of malicious foreboding and subtle surprises, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart is an addictive, nonstop thriller—an ever-tightening coil of suspense that grips you right up to its electrifying end.
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I can't say that I've started this new reading year with a BANG! Or even an enthusiastic *pop*. The Girl With a Clock for a Heart was none of the things that it promised it would be, but I stayed on for the ride nonetheless. With a string of non-twists, and repetitive narrative, I had a hard time finding something redeeming. I did enjoy it's fast pace, but only because it was bringing me closer to the conclusion. A conclusion, I might add, that was also not something to gush about.
I understood the picture that Peter Swanson was trying to paint. The damsel in distress, the fox in sheep's clothing-It was all very demented Jessica Rabbit. I've come too far in my reading experiences to turn a blind eye to cliches. I respect substance in my narratives, unless I've specifically sought out a fluffy, mindless read. With that said, The Girl With a Clock for a Heart was not a mindless read, but it also didn't hit very high on the 'engaging' meter. The characters were half a dimension away from bland, and the main characters, in particular, frustrated me to no end. George played his pathetic hero role to a tee, and made zero leaps in his growth throughout the book. Liana barely played a physical role, but when she did show up in scenes, her 'seductive' and doe-eyed dialogue made me want to retch. I needed at least one character to stay sane with me, but unfortunately, the pickings were slim to none, emphasis on 'none'.
I digress. I have said little about Swanson's actual ability to write, because despite my ramblings, this man's writing was definitely good, more than good. It's a shame that the story line he chose to write about didn't showcase that talent in the best light.
I am a huge believer in second chances though, so I will definitely be checking out his other work.
Recommended for Fans of: Mystery, Thriller, Dennis Lehane, Linwood Barclay, Lee Child.
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| credit: peter-swanson.com |
Peter Swanson is the author of two novels, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart, and The Kind Worth Killing, available from William Morrow in the United States and Faber & Faber in the United Kingdom. His poems, stories and reviews have appeared in such journals as The Atlantic, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Epoch, Measure, Notre Dame Review, Soundings East, and The Vocabula Review. He has won awards in poetry from The Lyric and Yankee Magazine, and is currently completing a sonnet sequence on all 53 of Alfred Hitchcock’s films. He lives with his wife and cat in Somerville, Massachusetts.
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Thank-you to Trish at TLCBlogTours, and William Morrow for sending me a print copy to read, and
Thank you for sharing your thoughts as part of the tour.
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